Watt-less Texans ready for Jaguars in London

The preseason trade that jettisoned three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle shifted a spotlight on Texans defensive end Whitney Mercilus. Another personnel loss will intensify the focus this weekend and for the remainder of the regular season. The Texans (5-3) placed end J.J. Watt on injured reserve following season-ending surgery for a torn pectoral muscle sustained Sunday. That transaction leaves Mercilus as the lone pass rusher of note for the Texans, who will travel to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4) Sunday at Wembley Stadium.

With 5 1/2 sacks and a league-high four forced fumbles, Mercilus has enjoyed a standout first half. But with Watt sidelined, and an injury-depleted secondary routinely scouring for replacements, the onus is on Mercilus to do more until the Texans can stabilize their roster from the attrition. "I think that Whitney is having a good year," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said. "There's a lot of different things that we can do with Whitney. When J.J. is in there, we do certain things with Whitney. When J.J. is not in there, maybe there's other things we do, and I think that also includes some other guys.

"I think there's a lot of different things that we can do. I think that Whitney has always been a guy that does what's best for the team, so whatever we ask him to do, he's going to try to do it to the best of his ability. We'll see how that plays out over the week here." The Texans signed cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun to replace Watt on the roster and bolster their secondary depth. Boddy-Calhoun spent the offseason and preseason with the Texans. Second-round rookie cornerback Lonnie Johnson is not expected to play in London after sustaining a concussion on Sunday.

The continued emergence of Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II will reach a checkpoint against Houston, for it will mark the first time the rookie faces a team a second time. Minshew is coming off his best game -- by passer rating -- as a starter, passing for 279 yards and three touchdowns in the Jaguars' 29-15 victory over the New York Jets last Sunday.

He came alive late in his first meeting against the Texans, passing for 213 yards and a score while engineering a fourth-quarter touchdown drive that put Jacksonville on the brink of victory. A failed two-point conversion in the waning moments prevented the Jaguars from completing the comeback. "I think you get confidence from playing a team and seeing them before," said Minshew, who made his first career start against the Texans on Sept. 15. "You get a little understanding, but we also know it's going to be a different challenge. They've got a lot of things different, as do we."

The most significant difference for the Jaguars is not facing Watt. With Watt anchoring their defensive front, the Texans rank fifth in rushing yards allowed per game (85.4). Without him, Houston will have to rely on a committee approach to defending the Jaguars, who are the designated home team. "He's one of the best players really to ever play the game, so it's a difference when he's not in there," Minshew said. "But they've got good enough players to present challenges all over."

 

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